Search engine optimization (SEO) can deliver strong results for every client, but columnist Marcus Miller explains why it may not be right for every business or every situation.

This may seem strange coming from an SEO guy, but there are many situations where organic search may not be the best option for a given marketing challenge.

In fact, there are times when SEO is just simply not a good fit. In this article, I am going to look at a few common scenarios we see at my agency where we have been contacted for SEO and have fed back that we believe that SEO is either not aligned with their requirements or there is some other form of mismatch (speed, budget, etc.).

1. Budget

This is the first and most common issue we see. The business wants to rank for a given term within a fixed time period for a set budget. Ultimately, you have to survey the landscape; and whether you are a local business or a national business, you must be realistic about what your spend needs to be to effectively move you to where you want to be.

Estimating the cost of SEO projects is often difficult in itself. There are a lot of variables, but, in most cases, by using tools like Majestic and Ahrefs you can get a handle on what the competition looks like and what a ballpark approach to moving forward will look like.

Of course, even when attained, work must be done to maintain your highly desirable organic placement, and whilst this is typically less than the cost to aggressively move forward, you will have to factor this into your marketing budgets.

The availability of budget can also lead people towards the SEO dark side. There will always be someone willing to play fast and loose with Google’s guidelines to show short-term improvement and relieve you of your marketing budget — whilst likely doing more harm than good over the long term.

About The Author

Marcus Miller is an experienced SEO and PPC consultant based in Birmingham, UK. Marcus focuses on strategy, audits, local SEO, technical SEO, PPC and just generally helping businesses dominate search and social. Marcus is managing director of the UK SEO and digital marketing company Bowler Hat and also runs wArmour aka WordPress Armour which focuses on helping WordPress owners get their security, SEO and site maintenance dialled in without breaking the bank.